Ivory Coast goalkeeper Sylvain Gbohouo has been handed an 18-month ban by football’s world governing body Fifa for a doping violation.
Last year the 33-year-old tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, a heart medication which the World Anti-Doping Agency categorises as a stimulant.
Gbouhou was provisionally suspended in December and missed this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
His positive test came after a 2022 World Cup qualifier against Cameroon on 16 November.
“As a result of the presence of the prohibited substance in his sample, the player was found to be in violation of article six of the Fifa Anti-Doping regulations as read in conjunction with article 17 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code,” a statement on the Fifa website said.
Gbohouo, who plays for Ethiopian club Wolkite City, has 63 international caps and was part of the Ivory Coast squad that won the Nations Cup title in 2015.
His ban has been backdated to 23 December, and he will be free to play again on 24 June 2023.
Ivory Coast is set to host the 2023 Nations Cup in June and July next year.
Source: BBC
